The Phantom Cry Got Me Good

I never understood why my mom was so worried about me all the time until I had Liam.

At night is the worst. I haven’t fallen into a deep sleep since he’s been born. I check him every five minutes to make sure he’s still breathing.

This is so not me.

I’m a serenity prayer kind of guy. I don’t worry much because I know I can’t control or plan everything that happens in life. Rarely do I let emotions get the best of me. All that has been thrown out the window from the moment I met him.

He was crying so hard when he was born. I immediately asked the nurse if that was normal. She assured me it was and even encouraged it to expel mucus from his lungs.

The next day I noticed he started to develop what is called a new-born rash. Well, I didn’t know that at first. When I first noticed the rash I immediately pressed the emergency call button at the hospital. A nurse came rushing him. After examination, she assured me it was perfectly normal and would go away in less than a week.

Yesterday while he was taking a nap in the other room I swear I heard him crying. When I ran into the room he was sound asleep. After talking to my friend about it he said that happens with new parents, it’s called the Phantom Cry and that it would probably keep happening.

I’ve become such a softy with our little guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time I’m working out I start crying just thinking about him.